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| From Karen |
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Spring's Lesson: Open Up!
This time of year is always a busy one...everyone is getting serious about training (summer bathing suits are awaitin') and cleansing is on everyone's mind.
I always put my clients on a good body cleanse, because as our environment is opening up - blossoms, leaves, blooms - so too is our body, so it's a perfect time to take advantage of this letting go process and remove a bunch of unwanted toxins.
It's also a perfect time to do a mind cleanse too. Say What? Why not! You should know by now that we are not just flesh and bones. Scientists have recognized the intimate link between our inner state and our emotions and our physical health. Even the most die-hard science-based people can no longer deny it!
I know this all too well: when my son was diagnosed with a terminal illness, I lost my health for many, many years (I talk about this in my new book One Rep at a Time). A new story took over in my head - the sadness of living with a termianl illness, the medical interventions, the loss of ability, the degeneration...the hard reality of my son living with an incurable disease for the rest of his life.
I was to learn the toughest lesson of all: to let go and open up to what was. It took years to work through this, but I finally came out the other end with fresh tools to help me to successfully navigate through life with joy. I learned to open up, to breathe into every moment and accept what is.
Open up and cleanse yourself of the negatvie emotions: anger, regret, fear and sadness. Say yes to your challenges. If it doesn't shift right away, don't worry. With time and diligence it will. It's kind of like working a muscle into shape...you gotta keep at it and eventully that muscle re-shapes itself. You too can re-shape your inner muscles, and your emotional and spiritual health will expand!
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Training Tip: Take Stock |
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I think what intrigues me the most about weight training is the artistic element to it. Unlike most other sports, body sculpting is just that: sculpting. I am like an artist, a sculptor, and I am carving and shaping my body as I desire.
I hear women all the time say they don't want to get too big with weight traning...here's the thing: you can halt the muscle building at any time....if you've reached a place where you say:" OK, that's great, enough muscle there," then you just stay at that weight and rep scheme...and you move on to the next bodypart! But I can guarantee that you'll find another bodypart that needs some more attention...we can never stop improving!
So here's a tidbit: if you've got a stubborn bodypart, work that part first in your workout, when your energy is fresh, and work it for at least 9 sets. You may want to double-up on another days' training for that part, just switch up the exercises, but make sure you always start with a compound movement - one of those big movements that is multi-joint, like bench press, overhead press, squat or deadlift. Now that's what I call 'carve appeal!'
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| spiritual stuff: Stay Classy! |
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How we conduct ourself in the gym is how we are in life. I don't know about you, but I shy away from people who are braggarts, hogs and grunters. Thankfully there's not a lot of those around anymore since women became the largest group of users of the gym (except Friday nights! LOL!).
As a trainer, I'm always careful about how I'm perceived by others...am I helpful? Over-powering? Confident? What does my energy say about me? Sometimes energy is an even bigger indicator of the person's inner self, so we need to be wary of that.
Personally, when I'm in the gym, I rarely use an IPod, because I want to be part of the community there, and I just feel that IPods isolate us even more. I also want to stay open and present to what's going on around me. This doesn't mean I rush over and correct someone's form (rarely do I do this, especially if it's a guy, and besides, I'd never get my workout done if I was correcting others!). I also want to connect in to that inner place where muscle and mind meet, and where my powers of envisioning and my potential lies.
But most of all, I teach my clients to stay classy: regardless of what happens in the gym or who is being an idiot, it can be handled with class and style. We are, after all, Ambassadors of the sport of fitness, and we need to take it into the streets with class and style!
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| She Hit 13.5% bodyfat! WOW! |
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When I started myWhen I created my new 12-Week Advanced Challenge, I had no idea who would show up. I just knew I wanted to teach something that would really draw on my years of competitive training, so I put it together. W ell, it filled up and we rocked for 12 solid weeks!
One lady in particular stands out - Jane Henson of Victoria, BC. At the beginning of the Challenge, I asked them all to do their goals sheet, and one of Jane's goals was to stay on track, even while on holidays.
Well, Jane trained 5 days, non stop. She put everything second, and put herself first, for just one hour a day, and the results speak for themselves. She did th work, she upped her intensity, she used all the tools available to her on the Challenge (private Facebook page, podcasts, videos and articles/menus) and she continued to monitor her progress in pictures and measurements.
It's no surprise that Jane saw amazing results that even amazed her! Take a look at Jane's Results! CLICK HERE!
And for those that want to listen in, here's our interview together, as she talks about just how she came to enter, and win, the 12-Week Challenge! LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW!
Our Spring Challenges are now closed. Good luck to all 26 women signed up! Enjoy the journey! |
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article: Know Thyself |
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In our programs, we learn about ourselves - our beliefs, values, challenges and desires. We also take a hard, objective look at our physiques and determine what single body part we want to bring up, and then I help them create a workout around that lagging bodypart. There's an art and a science to it, and I want my gals to reach their fullest potential.
See, the greatest athletes (and people, for that matter) are the ones who take the time to know themselves deeply. They are objective, they ask the hard questions and they want to change themselves. In a nutshell, they are the bravest women I know.
It's not bravery to have genetic potential and slide into that potential with ease. The brave one is the one who fights against the odds - excess weight, children, work, poor genetics, a sluggish metabolism - and still forge on, day in and day out. These women have a deep desire to induce change and to really learn about their individual body and what it needs in the way of building shapely muscle, recovery, metabolism, how certain foods and environments affect them, how to control cravings and more.
I work with such women every day - courageous, beautiful women asking, no, demanding more of themselves and the world at large. Thank you ladies, you are truly inspiring.
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| RECIPE: the 5-fruit Cleansing juice |
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As part of the April HLP, we always do a group cleanse, for about 7-10 days, and part of that includes a morning juice broth to stimulate the download of toxins and clean the liver and blood. Here's our 5-Fruit Cleansing juice!
Yes, it's a bit of work, but do you think cleansing the body is an easy task? We have over 100 trillion cells! Come on.... it's only for a few weeks, you can do it!
In a juicer blend:
· 1 orange
· 1 green apple (green is better, pulls out more toxins)
· 2-3 carrots
· ½ grapefruit
· 1 lemon
· Ginger (don't chintz out on it)
· Garlic (again, don't chintz out!)
· Parsley - ½ to 1 cup
Add in 1 TBSP olive oil (nope, not flax or other...the olive oil is specifically for cleaning out the liver and gall bladder).
OK, so the deal with this juice blend is it's all about cleaning and supporting the liver and gall bladder, the two key detox organs and the two that get clogged up the most in daily life.
I usually add extra water to mine after I've finished making the juice, as I find first thing in the morning, this is pretty potent stuff. Sip slowly over 20 minutes...salivate before you swallow. This helps with digestion.
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| Book corner |
| - Linda Hunter |
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I just love this book - it's easy to read, and has simple tips and tidbots on how to make your house green and clean!.
I'm a busy gal, so I don't want to spend endless hours (and dollars) purchasing ingredients to make quality cleaning products, but in this book, Linda Hunter shows you how to do it with simple stuff you likely have laying around in your kitchen already!
Our biggest toxic load comes from our environment, mainly our homes. Learn how to live clean and safe within your own 4 walls. Your family deserves it!
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What's Coming up! |
April's Telecoaching Call! 
Are You Sabotaging Yourself? Ever wonder why you stop short of success? Wonder why you have good intentions but you just can't seem to get to the finish line? Likely it's your subconscious at work...that 90% of your brain that works under the surface! Let's get to the root of it and open ourselves up to what's really going on!
Healthy Living Program Members - Listen in April 10th, and let's move into our greatest potential! And don't forget aboutthis month's Menopause, Naturally. Learn how to go thru this important change naturally, with few side effects!
For more info, GO HERE!
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